Ski binding



Aug. 8, 1950 M. PENNYBACKER SKI BINDING 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 25, 1948 INVENTOR.

MILES PENNYBACKER ATTORNEY.

Aug. 8, 1950 M. PENNYBACKER SKI BINDING Filed Aug. 25, 1948 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

MILES PENNYBACKER ATTORNEY.

Patented Aug. 8, 1950 JUN-[TED ,sTAT-E A N OFFICE .BINDING TMilesfPennybacker, Bedding, "Conn. ApplicationcAugusfi 25, 1948, Seria'lNo.-'4'6,018

-10.Claim,s.' 1(01. zen-11.35)

This invention relates to a ski-binding adapted to connect aaski boot to a ski.

Conventional ski-bindings generally include means .to rigidly hold the toe or forwardportion of the ski boot sole fiXedQWith respectito the ski and'topermit the boot heel to move-upandi down with respect to the ski ,to compensate for heel motion during walking and climbing. This type of ski bindingh'asbeen widely used and accepted for many years even thoughit has disadvantages from a safety viewpoint and does not provide as good control as when the heel is held firmly to the ski. For example, no provision is made in this type'bindingto instantly liberate theskier when abnorma1 shock or strain'is encountered,-as; ina bad .spill or twist, which ,in many instances results in broken-bones or'badsprains-for thesk-ier.

It is an object of thepresent'invention ,to,provide a novel ski-binding in which both the toe and heel of the ski boot are securely and rigidly held against'the ski during all normal conditions but instantly and automatically released when the heel is subjected to abnormal forces, thus providing .for automatic release of .the, skier .in the event of a bad fallor twist.

Another object of this invention isto provide a ski-binding-in which the heel of ,theskihoot .is permitted sidewtis'e movement duringa twistof dangerous magnitude only, thereby releasingthe skier and minimizingthe hazard of brokenboncs.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a novel ski-binding in whichcontrolled spring tensioned means is arranged to normally,

exert rearward thrust upon the toe of .the ski boot which in turn holds the boot heel flat against the ski. during all normal skiing conditions, ,but pe'r mitting the heel to raise only when a predetermined forward force on the boot is reached. "This permits the spring tensioned meanstoyield suf-f ficiently to allow instant separation of .theboot from the ski to thereby liberate the skier. Stil1lfurther, and,.more.limitedly, the present invention contemplates the provision of a ski binding in which a predetermined pressure'isex erted against the toe of the ski boot which in turn holds the heel of the boot against a' heelmember; in which said'heel is movable with respect to the skionly when predetermined forward or sidewise thrust imparted to the ski boot'takes place; and in Whichan adjustable clamp is employed to varythe forcerequired torelea'se'the boot from the ski.

fVarious other; objects and advantages of the invention willbefpointed out inithe following deg scription andj'claims and 'illustrate'd'in the accompanying drawings, which disclose, y Way of example only, theprinciple of theiinvention and one mode, which has been employed,of applying that principle. v

Fig. 1 is aside elevational view of a skiboot and a portion of .a' ski illustrating one embodiment of the novel ski binding which is shown in clamping condition.

Fig. 2 is aplanzview of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a side elevationsimilar to Fig. 1 but showing the boot in dotted lines and the skibinding in its emergency-release position. v

Fig. 4 is a perspective detailof one form of the movable heel member.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged side elevational view of the adjustable clamp shown in Fig. 1 and that portionof the ski to which it is attached.

'Fig. .6 is a top view of Fig. 5 with the clamp shown partly in section. I

Figs. '7 and 8 are fragmentary detail views of the clamp in open position.

Fig. 9 shows a modified construction of the movable heel member, and,

Fig IO-is a top'view of Fig.9.

. ferring now to theaccompanying drawings, reference character S generally indicates the central portion of a conventional ski, or that portion of the ski which supports theski boot B. The novel ski-binding, in general, comprises a toe retaining means T anda heel retaining means H which will be separately described.

.In conventional. ski+bindings, .the toe of the ski boot is usually rigidly held'to the ski by .toe irons fastened to the ski, and the toe of theski boot is pushed forwardly into the, toe :irons-by a spring pressedcable which is laid around'the heel of .the boot anddra'wn forwardly bya toggleclamping member mounted upon the-ski forwardly of the boot. In the present ski-binding, the procedure is somewhat reversed as the toe of the ski boot B is forced rearwardly against the-movable heel retaining member -I-I=by a spring tensioned cable I-Z;which isdrawn rearwardly by a toggle clamping member C mounted on theskiS rearwardly of boot B.

The "toe retaining "means T willbe described first, and byreferenee to Figs. 1 and -2-it will be observedthattheends of cable 12 are secured to a fastening element 13, and that cable 12 1 guided in its movement longitudinally of the ski S by apairof conventional plates i i screwedto clamping member C by a strong spring H. The forward end of this spring is securely fastened to said element l3 and the rearward end is adjustably secured to a bail l8 through rod 23 and nut 24 as best shown in Figs. and 6. The ends of ball 18 are pivotally connected by a pin I9 to clamping lever 29, and the lever in turn is pivotally connected by a pin 2| to a U-shaped connector 22 as best shown in Figs. 7 and 8. Any suitable and convenient meansmay be employed to hold connector 22 in various positions of adjustment upon ski S for the purpose of varying the tension of spring H. in Figs. 5 to 8 as comprising a rectangular stud 25 having a groove 26 near its free end. This stud is secured to and projects downwardly from connector 22 and its groove 26 cooperates with any selected T-shaped opening 2! in the top portion of channeled bracket 28 which is rigidly attached to the ski by screws 29.

Referring now to heel retaining means H, and for the present to the form shown in perspective in Fig. 4-, numeral 30 indicates a bracket the base 3| of which is securely fastened to ski S 'just rearwardly of the boot heel 32 as clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Pivot-ed for swinging movement upon a pin 33, carried by the upper end of bracket 30, is a T-shaped member 34 having a curved heel engaging bar 38. If desired, this bar may be covered with a resilient material, such as rubber, to insure a firm grip between it and the conventional heel groove 35 of boot B when the latter is held in clamped position upon ski S.

Operation Operation of the ski-binding above described is extremely simple. To attach boot B to ski S, the first step is to shift clamping member C to its open position so that cable i2 may be drawn forwardly without any tension upon spring H. Curved bar 38 is then placed in groove 35 of heel 32 as clearly shown in Fig. 1, and the looped end of cable I2 is then laid around the boot toe 3% in engagement with the upper surface of the sole of the boot. rocked to its closed position and in so moving draws cable 12 rearwardly and exerts an initial tension upon spring ll to firmly lock boot B between said cable and heel bar 38. Boot B is now rigidly attached to ski S and so held during all normal skiing conditions, but is instantly and automatically released to liberate the skier should abnormal Shock or strain be encountered, as in a bad spill.

To explain how the boot is automatically released during abnormal skiing conditions, attention is directed to Figs. 1 and 3. In Fig. l the ski boot B is shown clamped to ski S through rearward pressure of cable l2 holding heel 32 in engagement with heel retaining means H. It will now be obvious that upward movement of the boot heel 32 is controlled by the tension placed upon spring 11, and that before the heel can rise from the ski, it is necessary for the boot to slightly shift forward or longitudinally with respect to the ski, thus increasing the tension placed on the spring ll. Heel engaging bar 38 swings on a radius about its pivot 33, as indicated by dotted line A in Fig. 1, and consequently no upward movement of heel 32 can take place until spring [1 is stretched beyond its initial tension to permit forward movement of cable l2. The construction is such that automatic release of boot B from ski S can be predetermined through the tension placed upon spring I1, and this ten- Clamping lever 2i] is then One means is shown 4 sion can be varied depending upon which T- shaped opening 21 stud 25 is engaged with.

There are times when it is highly desirable to instantly release the ski boot from the ski during a bad twist to prevent injury to the skier. The modified heel retaining means R, shown in Figs. 9 and 10, is designed to operate in exactly the same manner as the heel retaining means H shown in Fig. 4, but in addition permits release of the boot when sidewise movement during a twist of dangerous magnitude is encountered. In this form, the heel retaining means R comprises a post 31 having its lower end rotatably mounted in a cup-shaped plate 39 and its upper end formed into an eye 40. Plate 39 is attached to ski S rearwardly of boot heel 32 by screws 4| as clearly shown in Fig. 9. A T-shaped member 42, somewhat similar to member 34, is provided with a curved heel engaging bar 43. The member 42 is pivotally connected with the eye 4|] of post 31 by an eye 44 formed upon the member in the manner illustrated. By a study of Figs. 9 and 10, it will be apparent that bar 43 not only swings through a vertical are relative to its pivot 4D44 but is also capable of swinging in a horizontal are about the post 31 to permit sidewise movement of heel 32 with respect to ski S to liberate the skier during twists of dangerous magnitude but firmly holding the heel against the ski during all normal skiing conditions.

Although a preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit thereof, and it is the intention therefore to be limited only as indicated by the scope of the following claims.

The invention claimed is:

1. In a ski-binding adapted to rigidly connect a ski boot to a ski during all normal skiing conditions but capable of automatically releasing said boot to liberate the skier when abnormal shock or strain is encountered, comprising, a heel member pivoted for releasable connection with the heel of said boot; means engageable with the toe of said boot to normally thrust the heel of the boot against said pivoted heel member; and means to vary the thrust of said toe engaging means to permit swinging movement of said heel member out of engagement with said boot heel when a predetermined forward thrust on the boot relative to the ski is reached.

2. In a ski-binding of the class described, the combination comprising a bracket secured to a ski rearward of the position occupied by a ski boot; a heel-engaging member pivotally attached to said bracket and adapted to engage within a roove in the heel of a ski boot; a toe-cable engageable with the toe of said boot; means to draw said cable rearwardly to lock said boot upon the ski between said cable and heel-engaging member during all normal skiing conditions; and means including a spring and toggle clamp to so tension the cable that a predetermined formeans to normally exert a rearward thrust on the boot to hold the heel thereof in engagement with said heel member including a toe cable; and means to vary the tension of said cable in accorclance with the size of ski boot and weight of the skier substantially as set forth and for the reasons specified.

4. In a ski-bindin adapted to releasably connect a ski boot to a ski comprising the combination of a pivoted heel-engaging member arranged to swing in vertical and horizontal arcs relative to the ski; and means including a toe cable and spring to impart rearward thrust to the ski boot to hold the heel thereof in engagement with said swingable heel-engaging member during all normal skiing conditions but capable of yielding to automatically release said boot through swinging movement of said heel-engaging member to liberate theskier when abnormal shock or twist is encountered.

5. In a ski-binding adapted to releasably connect a ski boot to a ski comprising the combination of a heel-engaging member arranged for pivotal movement in horizontal and vertical arcs relative to the ski; means to impart rearward thrust to said boot to hold the heel of the boot against said heel-engaging member during all normal skiing conditions; and means to predetermine the thrust of said last namedmeans including a spring and toggle clamping element.

6. In a ski-binding adapted to rigidly connect ski boot to a ski during all normal skiing conditions but capable of automatically releasing said boot to liberate the skier when abnormal shock or strain is encountered, comprising, a heel member pivoted for releasable connection with the heel of said boot; means engageable with the toe of said boot to normally thrust the heel of the boot against said pivoted heel member; and means to vary the thrust of said toe engaging means to permit swinging movement of said heel member out of engagement with said boot heel when a predetermined forward and upward thrust on the boot relative to the ski is reached.

7. In a ski-binding adapted to rigidly connect a ski boot to a ski during all normal skiing conditions but capable of automatically releasing said boot toliberate the skier when abnormal shock or strain is encountered, comprising the combination of, a heel member pivoted for releasable connection with the heel of said boot; a toe cable engageable with the toe of said boot to normally thrust the heel of the boot against said pivoted heel member; a toggle clamping member; a spring connecting said cable with said clamping member; and adjustable means to vary 6 the tension of said spring to determine the force with which said toe cable holds the boot heel against said heel engaging member.

8. In a ski-binding adapted to rigidly connect a ski boot to a ski during all normal skiing conditions but capable of automatically releasing said boot to liberate the skier when abnormal shock or strain is encountered, comprising, a heel engaging member pivoted for swinging movement in vertical and horizontal arcs relative to the ski for releasable connection with the heel of said boot; a cable engageable with the toe of said boot to normally thrust the heel of the boot against said pivoted heel member; a fastening element for securingthe ends of the cable together above the top surface of the ski; a toggle clamping member; and a spring connecting said fastenin element with said clamping member substantially as described and for the purposes set forth.

9. In a ski-binding as specified in claim 8 wherein the toggle clamping member includes a lever adjustably mounted upon the ski to vary the tension of the cable spring.

10. In a ski-binding adapted to releasably connect a ski boot to a ski, the combination of a pivoted heel-engaging member mounted upon the ski for swinging movement in vertical and horizontal arcs relative tothe ski for releasable engagement by the heel of said boot; a cable engageable with the toe of said boot and guided for movement longitudinally of the ski; means to pull said cable against the toe of said boot to normally hold the heel engaged with said heel-engaging member; and means to vary the thrust of said cable against said boot toe to permit swinging movement of said heel-engagin member out of holding engagement with said boot heel when a predetermined forward thrust on the boot relative to the ski is reached.

' MILES PENNYBACKER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in th file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS- 

